Madison Ave. Medicine Men

It's easy to see from reading my blog that I think there are far too many commercials on television. But what's even more disturbing is that so many of them are outright lies. Like this Aleve commercial. I like Aleve. I use Aleve.But there is no way it provides all-day relief. It doesn't. You take it, it helps, and in a few hours you need it again. This commercial is a lie. So are dozens of others for all kinds of pain relievers from Bayer Aspirin to Zantac. Ad agencies feel they can make any claim they want to and get away with it. And they're right. One of the biggest advertising frauds is Dr. Scholl's. While some of their products may alleviate some problems, they don't provide the instant and miraculous cures promised on their commercials. The gelling spots are outright frauds. When I have more time I'm going to make a list of products that don't work at all, like—uhhhh mmmm— cough medicines.